Equitable Ethics vs. Easy Environmentalism:

The Essence of Earth Day

“It is easy for us to criticize the prejudices of our grandfathers,
from which our fathers freed themselves.

“It is more difficult to distance ourselves from our own views, so
that we can dispassionately search for prejudices among the beliefs and values
we hold.”

Peter SingerPractical Ethics, 1993

Many people express concern for the environment,
and believe Earth Day is a good opportunity to draw
attention to various issues. Sadly – yet not
surprisingly – Earth Day has become largely
a meaningless event, with just about everyone –
from the strictest vegan to the largest multinational
– claiming to support “the Earth.”

But of course, the planet is in no danger – there
is no way we can destroy a hunk of rock that weighs
1.3E+25 pounds.

Let me emphasize this point again, as it has generated
about as much angry feedback as anything else I’ve
ever written. “How can you say the Earth is
in no danger?? What about fisheries’ collapse / atmosphere pollution / rainforest destruction /
topsoil erosion???” But none of these are “the
Earth.” The oceans could empty and the atmosphere
blow away, and the planet would still exist. Only
the razor-thin biosphere matters, because it is where
we and our fellow feeling beings reside.

And this indicates what really is the bottom line
– the lives of sentient beings. To avoid considering
all our fellow creatures – and the implications
that would have for our personal lives – many
simply claim any and every environmental problem is
equally pressing, and anything “green”
is equally commendable.

When you look at what has become of “environmentalism”
in the US, the emphasis is either on the feel good
about ourselves (“I recycled!” “I
bought a hybrid!”) or condemning the “other”
(“British Petroleum is evil!” “The
government must do something about global warming!”).
The avoidance of an honest, meaningful analysis of
the fundamental bottom line isn’t surprising;
it is much simpler to parrot slogans, follow painless
norms such as recycling, vilify faceless corporations,
and demand the government take action. All of this
makes it easy to continue the status quo and still
feel smugly green and good.

Our personal “environmentalism” is often
simply nothing more than an expression of self-interest,
just another laundry list of “we want.”
We want to feel good about ourselves for doing little,
relatively painless things. We want charismatic macrofauna
to entertain us. We want wild spaces to use. We want
clean air and water for our children and friends.

But true ethics aren’t a question of what “we
want.” We can be thoughtful individuals and
go beyond personal preferences, feel-good campaigns,
and vilification of faceless others. We can each recognize
that sayings and slogans are superficial; intentions
and ideology are irrelevant.

What matters isn’t this rock we call Earth.
What matters are the sentient beings who call this
rock home. We can’t care about “the environment”
as though it is somehow an ethically relevant entity
in and of itself. Rather, what matters are the impacts
our choices have for our fellow feeling beings.

In the end, all that matters are the consequences
our actions have for all animals.

All creatures – not just wild or endangered
animals – desire to live free from suffering
and exploitation. Cruelty is wrong, whether the victim
is an eagle or a chicken, a wolf or a pig. The rest
is just noise and obfuscation.

At the end of the day, we simply can’t consider ourselves
ethical if we make choices that lead to more suffering
for these creatures. And the greatest amount of suffering
on Earth is caused when we choose to eat animals instead
of a cruelty-free alternative.

Veganism is a statement against “we want.”
Veganism is the embodiment of a consistent, universal
ethic. Veganism is a real choice with real consequences
– a way to oppose and actively reduce violence,
and truly make the world a better place for all.
When we choose to live consistently and ethically
as a vegan, at the end of the day, we can look in
the mirror, knowing we are good people making choices
that won’t lead to more suffering for our fellow
feeling beings.

But we know that being vegan is only the beginning.
Those of us who are already vegan have many further
opportunities to make the world a better place. Even
if our food choices aren’t directly causing
animals to be slaughtered, our other choices –
optimizing our example, time, and resources to have
the greatest impact – have consequences even
more important than what we eat.

This is why we are so honored to work with everyone
who is a part of Vegan Outreach, where, in the best
possible sense, every day is Earth Day.